As one of Asia’s premier property companies, Keppel Land believes in building developments that are in harmony with the natural environment. In fact, after adopting six Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2016, further steps have been taken since to achieve greater reduction in waste, water and energy. When it comes to observing internationally recognised environmental guidelines, the company takes exceptional pride to ensure that it not only complies but exceeds all regulatory requirements.
Here’s a look at some of our achievements.
Accolades for environmentally green buildings
To date, Keppel Land has obtained a total of 75 Green Mark Awards for its properties in Singapore, China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Myanmar, the Philippines and India, including 13 Platinum Awards. Given out by the Singapore’s Building & Construction Authority (BCA), these awards recognise efforts for the effective use of energy, environmental protection, sustainable development, and water conservation. The total estimated reduction in energy consumption from all of the company’s Green Mark-awarded projects when they are fully completed will be over 160 million kWh per annum – enough to power more than 28,000 homes in Singapore for a year, and roughly $32 million in cost savings per year. That’s on top of water savings of about 2 million cubic metres a year, and an annual carbon emission reduction of almost 70,000 tonnes. In 2017 alone, Keppel Land won 12 accolades at the BCA Awards, including the coveted BCA Quality Champion (Gold) Award for developers.
Speaking of carbon emission reduction
Thanks to its efforts to reduce carbon emissions, Keppel Land actually managed to meet its reduction target of 16% below 2010’s level in 2016 – four years ahead of its 2020 deadline. Its new target is 40% by 2030, and to do so, it will work on improving the energy efficiency of existing buildings and tapping on renewable energy. Meeting this target would mean an overall reduction of almost 140,000 tonnes of carbon emissions, which will yield potential savings of over $75 million, from 2010 to 2030.
Embracing innovation
2017 was also the year the company capitalised on the global trend of shared workspaces, with the launch of KLOUD, a new generation of serviced co-offices catering to companies looking for flexible spaces. Since its launch, the 18,000 sqft flagship at Keppel Bay Towers has been received warmly and the company plans to open at least one KLOUD centre in each of the markets it operates in. So far, KLOUD has been introduced in Ho Chin Minh City, Vietnam, and Junction City Tower in Yangon, Myanmar.
Protecting biodiversity
Keppel Land has a strong record in protecting biodiversity and 2017 was no different. The Spring City Golf & Lake Resort in Kunming, China, and Ria Bintan Golf Club in Indonesia were sculpted to blend in with the natural landscape. In Spring City, the area’s indigenous eucalyptus trees and wildflowers were carefully preserved during and after construction. At the Ria Bintan Golf Club, a programme was conceived to reduce water and fertiliser usage. Local species of shrubs and groundcovers were also planted to minimise maintenance work. At the Eco-City International Country Club (ECICC) in the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City, initiatives to preserve biodiversity include enhancing water quality with additional re-circulating streams to increase plant density along the water’s edge, conserving water through better controls, and increasing the natural habitat areas and migration corridors.
Read up on our other sustainability efforts here.